Fire-escape.



Patented Apr. I0, |900.

H. F. BILLMEYER.

FIRE ESCAPE. (Appumiqn, md .my 1o, i899.)

(Nu'hlgdel.)

wire

STATES PATENT FFIC.

vFlula-lascars.:

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,214, dated April 1o, Iveoo.

`Application nea Iuiy 1o, 1899.

To @ZZ whom it' may concern: i

Be it known that I, HAMLIN F. BILLME YER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in lire-escapes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of tire-escapes and to provide a folding ladder designed to be permanently mounted on a building and capable of being compactly arranged when not in use and of being readilyoperated from any of the stories of a building and from the interior and exterior thereof to arrange it in position for use. Y

` The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement 'of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andpointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, showing a fire-escape constructed in accordance with this invention and applied to a building. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the inner face of the ladder, the same being folded. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View on line 4 4 of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6l is a detail View illustrating the manner of interlocking the hook of the movable side of the ladder with the bracket.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the iigures of thedraw- 1n gs.

l designates a ladder designed to be arranged on a building, as illustrated in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, adapted to be employed in connection with any structure and constructed of steel or other suitable material and composed of a fixed side 2, a movable side 3, and a series of connecting-bars 4, arranged at intervals and forming the rungs or straps of the ladder. The sides 2 and 3 are provided with longitudinal grooves 5 and 6, located at their inner edges and adapted to receive and house the connecting-bars et when the ladder is folded, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

The xed sam No. 723,362. (No maa.)

side 2 is supported and olfset from the wall of the building by a top bracket? and by lower and intermediatev brackets 8, and the said top bracket consists of a pair of L.-shaped arms or sides and a transverse connecting portion disposed horizontally and `passing through a vertical guide or keeper 9. The verticalv guide or keeper 9- consists of a bar or strip of `'metal secured t0 the inner face of the movable side 2 of the ladder, at the upper portion thereof, and having its ends secured to the same, the body portion of the strip or bar being offset from the side 3 of the ladder to provide a space or opening for'the horizontal bracket 7. By interlocking the movable side of the ladder with the horizontal bracket in and outward movement and is supported vided with reversely-arranged arms disposed rthis manner the side 3 is guided in its inward l at-right angles to thebody portion, which is horizontal, and the said arms are secured, re-

spectively, to the side 2 of the ladder and to the wall of the building, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5`of the accompanying drawings.

\ The movable side of the ladder is` provided near its lower end with an inwardly-extending horizontal arm l0, adapted to bear against the-wall when the ladder is subjected tothe weight of a person,and the ladder is supported y at a point between its ends by a bracket l1, provided with a substantially L-shaped outer portion and mounted uponthe building. The `Lshaped` portion of the bracketll is engaged vby a hook 12, mounted on the movable side ofv the ladder, at the inner face thereof, and extending downward. By this construction the ladder is. firmly supported in its operative position and is prevented from bending or swaying when subjected to the weight of a heavy person.

The movable side of the ladder is provided at its upper end with an extension or enlargement 13, located directly above and adapted to rest upon the fixed side 2 of the ladder when the parts are folded, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and the lower edge of the extension 13 and the upper end of the IOO side 2 are mounted, as shown, to enable the movable portion of the ladder to swing inward and outward.

The movable portion of the ladder carries of the ladder.

preferably located adjacent to the windows of the building and adapted to be depressed from the exterior thereof, whereby the arm is disengaged from the-catch to permit the movable side of the ladder to swing outward. The spring which is disposed on the lockingvrod has its lower end bearing against a support 21, and its upper end engages a shoulder or stop on the rod. The locking-rod is` also adapted to be operated from the interior of thebuilding by means ofl flexible connections 23and 24, consisting, preferably, of chainsextending through suitable perforations of the adjacent wall of the building and passing over guidefpulleys mounted on the fixed side The upper flexibleconnecton 23 is arranged on upper and lowery guide-pulleys 25 and 26., audits outer end is connected tothe rod ata point above the lower guide.- pul-ley, whereby when it is. pulled upon it will remove the locking-rod downward and disengage the arm 15 from thek catch. The

' lower flexible connection passes under a pulley 27 and is connected with the rod at a point abovey the same, whereby it is adapted to reciprocate the locking-rod similar to the ufpperfiexible connection. l

The fixed side 2 of the ladder is provided at its-.lowerend with an enlargement 28, similarto the enlargement 13vof the upper end of the movable side 3, and the lower end of the latter and the upperend of thel enlargement are'.y cutat anY angle, as shown.

'When the locking-bar is. disengaged from the, catch, the movable section of the ladder is thrown outward automatically by a` spring 29a sufficient distance to clear the enlargementsand to. cause the movable section to complete its opening movement by gravity.

The spring, which is substantially V-shaped, is composed of two sides and is provided at its angle or bend with a spring-coil. One side of the spring is secured. to the fixed side of the ladderand its other side is free and engages the movable side 3 ofthe. said ladder, which is provided at the inner edges of its sideswith recesses to receive an arm 3l of the spring.

The ladder is returned to its folded position by means ofa shaft or windlass 3l, fulcrumed on the fixed side 2, near the upper end thereof, and provided with a drum or pulley arranged in the groove 5 and having a chain 32 or other suitable flexible connection secured toit. The fiexible connection 32v passes beneath a, guide-pulley 33 and is attached to the uppermost connecting-bar 4, and the inner end of the shaft'or windlass isprovided with a crank-handle located adjacent toa window of the building. By rotating the shaft or' windlass the movable side of the ladder will be swung upward to carry the catch into engagement with the arm 15 of the locking-rod. The shaft is adapted to turn freely in its bearings and it is readily rotated by the movable side of the ladder when the same swings downward.

It will be seen that the fire-escape, which is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, is capable of compactly folding when it is not in use and of housing the connecting pieces or steps of the ladder and that it may be read-ily operated from the interior or the exterior of a building to arrange it in position for use. It may be readily returned to its folded position, and the overlapping enlargements, which are located at the top. and bottom of the ladder, assist in supporting the movable side of the same, and the spring operates to throw the movable side outward sufficiently to cause the enlargement of the movable side to. clear the upper end of the fixed side and to carry the lower end of the movable side beyond the enlargement of the fixed side, so thatthe opening movement will be completed by gravity;

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction within the scope oftheappended claimsmay be resorted to without. departing from the-.spirit or -sacrificing any ofthe advantagesof this invention.

1. A device of the classdescrbed com-prising a folding ladder having fixed and movable,` sides and provided with connectingpieces, a catch-mounted on-oneof the sides, a continuous longi-tudinally-inovable springactuated rod mounted inssuitable guides on the. other side and provided with an.- arm for engaging the said catch, and flexibleconnections extending from the said rod from dif- 1 ferent pointson the same, andarranged to-be operatedat the different storiesof a building, su-bstantially as described.

2. A devicev of the class described comprising a folding ladder having fixed and movable sides, and provided with connectingpieces, a horizontal bracket arranged at the top of the ladder, supporting the fixed side land forming the guidefor-the movable side, a keeper or loop mounted on the movable side and receiving the bracket, lowerbrackets-sup- Iporting thefixed side, an arm located at the lower portion of the movable side, ahookcarried by the movable side, and a fixed bracket designed to be mounted onfa building'andarlranged to interlock with the hook, substantially as described..

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HAMLIN F. BILLMEYER.

Vitnesses:

FRANK R. WILsoN, JOHN Safeco.

IIO 

